Five weeks ago, Catsnip Etc, a TNR (trap-neuter-return) focused rescue in Elkhart, Indiana, was contacted about a litter of kittens found in a hole under the sidewalk.
The area was not safe for the kittens, and they needed to be rescued as soon as possible. Paige, Carl, and Helen, volunteers of Catsnip Etc, sprang into action and arrived with tools to help bring those babies to safety. “When they called and said kittens needed help, we came with poles, duct tape, a net and flashlights,” the rescue shared.
The hole was so small that they had to shovel around the opening to get a good visual on the kittens. Once they located the litter, they counted six tiny babies huddled in the back, completely out of reach.
They tried to coax the kittens out by playing a video of a cat mom calling her babies, but the six little furballs didn’t budge. That’s when Carl stepped up to the plate and volunteered to crawl under the sidewalk to retrieve the kittens.
He lay on his back, shimmied his way into the hole head first. He had barely enough room to inch forward as his tummy rubbed against the concrete. After carefully maneuvering his body into the tight space, he was able to reach the kittens and handed them over to the other volunteers.
When they retrieved the sixth kitten, Carl wiggled his way out and could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He was exhausted but so happy to know that all six kittens were safe and sound.
“Carl was a hero and crawled the smallest hole ever to get them,” the rescue said. “The kittens were pretty dirty and had lots of fleas.”
